DEEP TROUBLE [KTH]

~12~

"Sorry." EunHae says returning to her reading, smiling as Namjoon teaches the boy how to write.

In the middles of their lesson, Namjoon's phone suddenly goes off, the sound startling everyone as it breaks them out of concentration.

"Sorry." Namjoon apologizes. "I have to take this."

The boy watches as his friend stands up and walks away, running a hand through his hair as he talks on the phone.

"I have to go." Namjoon says putting his jacket on. "I don't think I'll be back for dinner so don't wait for me." He adds as he closes the door, the apartment silent after.

"Guess it'll just be us then." EunHae says giving the boy a smile. "I'll start making dinner."

The boy nods, returning his attention back to the exercises Namjoon left for him. His handwriting isn't the best, but he's getting the hang of it, and there's something he really wants to try before the end of the day.

EunHae watches the boy from the kitchen with a smile, the tip his tongue slightly peeking out as he concentrates.

After a while, the boy lets out a heavy sigh, briefly laying on the carpet before he stands up and walks into the kitchen, tugging on her shirt to get her attention.

"What is it V?" She asks, the boy pulling her with him as he sits down on the table.

I need your help. He signs, the girl following his gaze as he looks at the table of characters, pointing at a character to confirm its sound.

"That's D." She says but the boy shakes his head moving it to next similar character. "T."

The boy smiles and quickly attempts to write it down, smiling as he points to the next one.

"E." Another shake of his head. "Ae."

EunHae raises her brow in curiosity but continues without interruption, until the characters which she thought could be random spell out something.

"Tae-hyung." EunHae reads. The boy nods his head and points at himself like she had done when she introduced herself. "Nice to meet you Taehyung." She says with a smile.

Taehyung gives her a bright smile and hands her the pencil, guiding it to the paper the way she had done so earlier.

Your name? He signs.

"EunHae." The girl softly says, emphasizing each letter and syllable as she writes it down. Taehyung stares at her name for a few seconds before he starts copying it, remembering each stroke Namjoon taught him.

"Wow, you're doing so good Taehyung!" EunHae encourages, proudly looking at the squiggly lines that with practice will become his handwriting. "Do you think you can tell me your name?" She asks.

Taehyung nods and mouths his name, no sound coming out as he does so.

"Can you try it out loud?" She asks, confusion written on the boy's face at the request.

"Like this."

EunHae takes Taehyung's hand and gently places his fingers on her throat so that he can feel the vibration as she says his name, then she moves his hand to his own throat, the boy frowning when he doesn't feel anything.

"It's okay." EunHae reassures with a smile. "We don't don't have to worry about that now, we have plenty of time to practice."

"Why don't we show Namjoon when he comes home?" She offers, the boy smiling brightly at the suggestion.

It seems to EunHae that the boy doesn't really know how to use his vocal cords yet, still, they made a lot of progress today, and now they finally know the mysterious fish boy's name.

Taehyung.

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed, the story will pick up pace soon I promise! In the meantime thank you for giving 'Deep Trouble' a chance and thank you for your patience.
~Van
(2020.10.02)